Opposites Attract Gaara No Sabuka
by Ethereal Synchronicity
Summary: Because of a reviewer  jkl  I decided to change this summary and to take the word "oneshot" out of the title. This is a piece I'm considering turning into a chapetered story! :D  Once again, thank jkl


Cho was a delicate girl, and she was treated as such. She was a princess and was never allowed to forget it. Her father was her only parent left alive and he refused to remarry. He focused all of his free time on his daughter and it showed. She was never sick, never neglected, never ignored, but always curious.

Gaara was a tough, dangerous boy, and he was treated as such. He was a freak and was never allowed to forget it. His father was his only parent left alive and he didn't remarry. He focused all of his free time on his son and it showed. He was never safe, never able to sleep, never ignored, but always angry.

How these two met was an odd, odd occasion. Cho was turning thirteen and she had convinced her father to let her go on a trip by herself. She chose the ninja village, Sunakagure, as her destination; her reason being that she was absolutely captivated by the sand. She had seen it before, yes, her numerous trips to the beach were lovely! Or at least that's what her guards told her as they icarried/i her across the sand and out of the sun. She chose the place where the wind would make sand fall like the snow she was so fond of gazing at through her frosted glass window, and where people train to risk their lives at a moment's notice. Of course, Cho's loving daddy wouldn't let her go without at least hiring the best of the afore-mentioned ninja. The girl sighed as she ran a brush through her long, blue hair. Her father often bragged about how there was nothing else quite like it in the country. She wished her father would let her grow up. He still dressed her in the little frilly princess dresses with layers of lace and ribbons, and spun yarns about the handsome prince who was oddly just like daddy. For her trip, Cho refused to dress in anything involving a corset. She chose dresses that were simple, yet still beautiful. And unbeknownst to her father, she brought her own kunai. Her chakra system had activated long ago and she taught herself how to control it. She found herself favoring the more delicate, yet deadly elements such as water variants like ice and snow.

"Cho, your escorts have arrived," a maid said and Cho thanked her. She made her way downstairs and smiled at her father, who rose from his plush throne to greet her.

"You, unworthy ninja; gaze upon my beautiful daughter and envy her." Cho's smile fell; these people were going to hate her before they met her.

"Dearest father, don't downgrade the people you've hired for my gain, or your own personal gratitude. It isn't necessary." She said quietly, but everyone heard. Her father looked as if he would cry, but he swept the girl into the room to show her off to the ninja.

"I trust my Cho will be safe; a month is a long time, but I am told that you are the best." Cho studied the solemn ninja and was relieved to see that she wasn't being pawned off to some overly serious old man who aspired to do no more than lay down his life for the sake of the mission. There were three people on the team assigned to protect the young princess. A blonde female, who seemed to be the eldest of the group; she stood respectfully but still seemed to be a bit too casual for the setting. A boy who wore a hat that was shaped like a cat's head and far too much make-up; He seemed to be the middle child. And then was the red-head. He looked tired, and bored. His eyes were focused on the window on the far side of the room, where the moon was clearly visible. The other boy elbowed him in the stomach and he turned his attention to Cho. When he turned his face, "love" was clearly imprinted on his forehead. She unconsciously laid a hand on her chest and angled her eyes to the ground for a moment before realizing that she was being rude.

"Please, Excuse my manners, I'm Cho."

"Temari"

"Kankuro"

"…" The last boy said nothing for a moment until Kankuro elbowed him yet again.

"Gaara" Cho smiled brightly as she studied the last boy, his hair was as oddly colored as hers, and he had a gourd on hid back. He interested her the most.

"Goodbye father, I'll miss you greatly" Her father's goodbyes were entirely too long, so that by the time he was done the ninja were impatient and ready to leave.

They left the castle quickly and Cho's bag was thrown into a wagon.

"You need to get in, princess." Kankuro said and Cho grimaced.

"Oh, alright… but when we're out of view of the sentry I'd much rather walk." He sent her a look, but said nothing; she was his charge, nothing more. The girl, Temari, was much more interesting than he. She took to sitting by Cho and trying to force a conversation out of her.

"So, any princes around? You're pretty cute." Cho only laughed at this.

"As if! Father scares everyone away with his "precious daughter" quip. I'm sure he forced that on you as well." The last statement was more of a question, and Temari nodded.

"You're lucky, kid. The man loves you." Cho sighed and watched the ground roll under the wheels of the carriage.

"I know." The conversation ended there, because Cho deemed that they were a safe distance away from the castle and she leapt from her perch and landed gracefully by Gaara and Kankuro. Gaara shot her a look and she bowed her head in apology. She walked forward a bit and was appalled by the way the leaves crunched under her shoes.

The trip to Sunakagure lasted three days. Every night, Temari would make Cho go into a tent and stay while Gaara stood guard. The last night, she actually left her tent.

"Gaara-Sama, why don't you sleep?" She asked quietly and he glared at her. He thought she was ridiculing him, until he realized that it was an honest question.

"I can't" He simply replied, and Cho left it at that. If he didn't wish to tell her, that was his business. The next day they were in Suna and Cho was rushed to a high-end hotel. Temari and Kankuro left to report to the Kazekage and Gaara was left to guard Cho. The first hour was spent in complete silence. Cho sat in a chair, facing Gaara, and Gaara sat on the couch, facing her. Then Cho got curious.

"The gourd, what's in it?" She asked quietly and Gaara removed the cap.

"Sand" It flowed from the gourd and landed on his hand, Cho's eyes widened with amazement and she bit her lip shyly.

"Can I touch it?" He nodded and she stood, moving forwards cautiously. When she reached the couch, she sat down beside Gaara and lightly touched the substance on his palm. When she made contact, her face lit up with both joy and terror. She withdrew her hand and Gaara felt himself become slightly angry at her reaction. She grinned at him, and surprised him by taking some of the grains from his hand and raising them to her face. She wrinkled her nose at the smell and pulled it away.

"The sand, it smells like—metal." Gaara shook his head.

"Not metal, blood." Cho's eyes widened and she looked down at the grains of sand in her hand that had begun to shift on her palm. The sand had a reddish tint to it, and seemed almost menacing.

"You kill people with it then?" She asked quietly and Gaara nodded. He didn't like the tone of her voice. It was dark and morbid, making him think that she disapproved of him. He didn't like that idea.

"Do you think I'm a monster?" He asked, letting some of the sand from his gourd spread over the floor and the back of the couch.

"Do you find me repulsive?"

The sand in Cho's palm began to move more rapidly and Gaara glared.

"Is it frightening, that I kill people?" Cho found herself captivated by the rapidly swirling sand and she looked up in shock.

"No. You're a ninja, it's your job."

Suddenly, the door flew open and Temari ran into the room. She looked worried, but was both surprised and relieved to see Cho sitting by Gaara.

"Kankuro, please stop!" Cho called, watching as the boy sat smugly on the top branch of a tree with her journal in his hand, his eyes scanning the page quickly. She felt an odd, unpleasant emotion filling her body and suddenly her self-training came back to her. Her feet were sticking to the tree as she ran upwards, and she easily retrieved her book. She, not having proper training, lost her focus and began to fall. She was sure she was going to die when Gaara caught her. Normally, he would've used his sand, but he sprung from his perch on a branch and pulled her from the air.

"How did you do that?" Temari asked and Cho lifted a finger to her lips, she had to keep it a secret from her father.

Later that night, Cho found that she couldn't sleep. She wandered upstairs and found Gaara staring at the full moon.

"Thanks for saving me, Gaara." Cho whispered and the boy turned to her. He said nothing, but gestured to the spot next to him. She took the offer and they sat in silence for a moment.

"Gaara, what is pain?" Cho asked suddenly and Gaara grimaced.

"Pain is a terrible sensation. It destroys the mind of a human and eats away at their sanity. Physical pain takes away from the performance of a body and confuses the senses. Now, what is love?" Cho was unprepared for his question; she gently bit her lip and sat in thought for a moment, before an explanation came to her.

"Love is usually a wonderful thing. It captivates the senses and builds happiness and joy. Love is a feeling that makes you want to protect someone even if you know they don't need it. Gaara, Love is what I feel for you." The boy's eyes widened and he gently placed the back of his hand on the girl's cheek.

"C-Cho, I think I love you, too." He gently pressed his lips against hers and she gasped at the odd sensation.

"What's wrong, did I hurt you?" Cho smiled and took his hands.

"No, it was—nice. I wish this month wasn't over. Father may never let me see you again."

Cho had been right, her father forbade her from seeing someone of such low standing. Gaara pledged that he would return one day and left her with a vial of sand to remember him by. It took him four years to come back. Four years in which Cho refused to revert back to her daddy's little princess; four years in which Cho discovered what pain really was. She was still the same shy, insecure, kind girl she had always been; only she was colder with her father. She constantly received engagement offers and she was forced to meet with each of them; but she was never interested, until one day she got a request from the kazekage.

Cho sighed as she finished getting ready; there was no telling what they had in store for her today. The first difference she noticed when she walked downstairs was that her father was unhappy, and silent. Normally, he would be bragging away. Then was the fact that there were no frivolities involved, only three people standing in the middle of the room. She immediately recognized Temari and Kankuro, and hugged them happily, but the third figure was hidden.

"Temari, Kankuro, I missed you! But wait, the Kazekage? It can't be—"She approached the cloaked figure and clutched the vial of sand around her throat.

"Gaara?" He pulled off his hood and revealed his fiery red hair. In his four-year absence, he had become even more handsome. Cho buried her face in his chest and sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"I almost thought you'd given up." She whispered and Gaara chuckled, running a hand through her silky hair.

"You don't have enough faith in me." Gaara placed a finger under the girl's chin and made her look up at him. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and then turned his attention to her father.

"I know you don't trust me, and I know you don't like me. But I am going to marry your daughter." Cho's father glared for a moment, his gaze stony and possessive; but then he broke into a joyful grin.


End file.
